Eklutna - Chugach State Park

This place is a secret wonder, just off the Glenn highway north of Anchorage. The autumn color was spectacular here!  It was raining and cold in early September, but simply gorgeous.

The first-come, first served sites are on the smaller side and very wooded; with lots of space in between sites, but not a lot of open canopy. This was a bit of challenge for our rooftop solar, but we used portable solar suitcase on an extension cord to capture some sunlight. 

The bathrooms are simple, but clean, vault toilets.  Water is available at spigots located throughout the campground loop. The lake offers lots of stunning recreation opportunities for flat water paddling and fishing -- careful, the lake can kick up some pretty mean chop during windy afternoons. 

Hiking on the Twin Peak trailhead is just around the corner, and cycling along the main road could be a great way to get some hill climbing exercise, as it’s a steep road up to the lake from the Glenn.  If you are visiting the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, this is a great close by campground (about 30 miles away).

We loved that this campground had the feeling of a remote, wilderness campground but all within an hour’s drive of Anchorage. There is one local tourist ice cream shop just a few miles back down the road, which offers food, showers, and laundry. It is only open during the summer months. Further afield the suburban area around the interchange between the Glenn and Parks Highways has all of the services campers need about 30 minutes to the north of the campground.

Great campground. Wish some of the spots were on the lake though because that’s it’s star player. Amazing hikes of the lake, glacier, and waterfalls that flow into it. Normal stuff here: pit toilets, picnic tables, and fire pits. All spots are paved. It’s $20/night but you can pay with credit card at a kiosk or cash like usual.

Plenty of camp sites available and a short walk to the lake. Water and trash service available but no dump station. Grab your overnight ticket using your license plate number (not space number) and pick out your favorite spot from 50 different sites. Lake allows electric motors only and it's pretty shallow from shore, so I think the best fishing will be by kayak or dinghy.